Broughton Beach, along the Columbia River, has been a favorite spot in Portland to check for shorebirds, gulls, and waterfowl, depending on the season. On my recent visit I enjoyed watching a family of Horned Larks working the beach. There are many subspecies of Horned Lark, and I don’t have a reference that provides a good description of the possible subspecies in this area. These birds had much more yellow on their faces than did the birds I saw recently on Mount Hood.

This juvenile showed more muted colors and lacked the distinctive facial pattern of the adults.

I’m not sure if this bird is a juvenile or an adult female.

adult female, I think

adult male, I think

adult male

Not a Horned Lark, but Brewer’s Blackbirds are among my favorites. This is a female.

And we end with a ball of fluffy cuteness. I was surprised to find such a young Killdeer so late in the summer.